The music of Port Harcourt, a city of Rivers State located to the south of Nigeria is a thriving one encompassing both native African and foreign-influenced genres. Port Harcourt plays host to numerous radio stations, prominent recording studios, such as the Street Rhymes Studios and other music institutions. As a state capital, Port Harcourt boasts of one of the liveliest club scenes in the country as well as music venues, bars and restaurants. At present time, hip hop, highlife and reggae are most popular music styles among young people in the city.
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Notable musicians and record labels
Port Harcourt has given birth to many locally and internationally admired musicians including Duncan Mighty, Muma Gee, Timaya, Muna, M Trill, Slim Burna, Lyrikal, Mr. 2Kay, Barz, Gee (former Lgb of tropical breed), Waconzy and other stars. The city is home to Grafton Entertainment, one of Africa's biggest record labels to date. Founded in 2004, Grafton Entertainment has contributed extensively towards the growth of the Port Harcourt music scene from discovering and exposing her best talents to organizing some of the city's groundbreaking concerts. The first signee to the label was Bayelsa duo De Indispensables whose Press On Pt. 2 album in the 2000s put Port Harcourt on the global hip hop map.
Music festivals
More recently, there has been a significant increase in the number of festivals held within the city. Carniriv, a major musical cultural event in Nigeria continues to take place annually since 1988. The state government further recognizes this festival as its biggest tourism export. Aside Nigeria, the Carniriv has featured several famous artists from other countries abroad including the likes of Shaggy, Patra, Beenie Man, Busta Rhymes, Joe, Brick & Lace and Wyclef Jean.
Venues and organizations
Most of the major concerts, festivals and other musical events are held in multi-purpose stadiums such as Liberation Stadium in Elekahia. Opened in 2001, Liberation Stadium has the capacity to seat 30,000 people, only the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium is known to be bigger than it. Port Harcourt's nightclubs and public houses are also locations for music activities. Other venues like The Atrium and the Aztech Arcum have hosted several shows for local and mainstream artists.
The Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria Rivers State Branch exists as one of the organizations that promote music profession and oversee the welfare of musicians in the city. It is affiliated with the national Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) which has supported the industry since 1984. Singer Lady IB, as of November 2014, is serving her second term as Chairperson. She is the second woman, after Muma Gee, to ascend to that position.
Jazz
Maud Meyer, female jazz icon, was born in Port Harcourt. She was among the few women that rose to stardom in the 1950s. As a child, Meyer emulated her mother who was a bandleader. She was a well-known proponent of Billie Holiday. Meyer's voice and ability to expand in the genre were the keys to her success. In the words of Emeka Keazor, "she was one of the greatest female jazz singers of all time."
Throughout her career, Meyer maintained a position as West Africa's foremost. She sold herself on the club circuits while assisting various influential bands. In the late 1980s, Jazz music achieved its commercial peak. A Jazz Festival was duly introduced to hold every year. During the first three editions the event saw a record number of people along with performances from Oliver Jones, Embryo and Dizzy Gillespie.
Hip hop
Beginning in the twenty-first century, the impact of hip hop music on young Harcourtians in terms of lifestyle, fashion, attitudes and values has reached heights previously unseen. While this transformation remains an intriguing cultural enigma, those involved in the movement consider it profitable. An early example of Port Harcourt hip-hoppers was the Tropical breed, Specimen A, and Tuck Tyght Allstars formed in 2000.
Tropical Breed, a hip hop duo of Lgb (now Gee, short for 'Genius') and Mack One released a few singles which were the first hip hop tracks to be aired in the city of Port Harcourt by the Rhythm 93.7 radio station. These tracks included the hip hop club banger "Clubs to the streets", the track "PHC" (feat Prince Dada) which was a dedication to the Port Harcourt city and the controversal single "Nepa"... which was a hit track that spoke about the popular poor electric power situation in the country. This song attracted a diss track from Lyrikal of Tuck Tyght 'Learn something' for their use of Pidgin language and not proper english on the track. This prompted them to later release another single "Critics" (with an underground grimmy video Edited by 'Base-one') as response to the diss track stating how other rappers should keep their focus on their problems and not the next man.
Tuck Tyght Allstars went on to become a significant group paving the way for further development of the genre. Protagonist Henry Diete Spiff founded Tuck Tyght Records to focus on hardcore, street-oriented hip hop, at a time when there weren't many supporting or sponsoring it. Tuck Tyght's first release was the group album, Now Official, released in 2003. Featured on the album were Frank D Nero, Andre Blaze, Double K, Mack Gee, Duncan Daniels, Damage, Lyrikal, M-Lee, Double V and Billy Dolomite. This album was instrumental in helping the artists gained experience in all facets of the industry, ranging from production, mixing, mastering, to distribution.
Lyrikal left the Tuck Tyght after appearing on Now Official. His first ever official single was "Learn Something" which was a diss track to the Specimen A and Tropical Breed hip hop groups. Following that he launched a solo career releasing a second single "Can U Relate", where he rapped on issues of socio-political concern. Duncan Daniels, born in Boston, moved to the city as a teenager. He began producing records eventually signing with Tuck Tyght. Though the record label and the all-star group working under it later disbanded, their contributions to the hip hop scene cannot be ignored.
Grafton Records' De Indispensables (composed of Lenny B and Tick Lips) were the most successful duo of the 2000s. Not only did they sell out their headline gigs and perform at special venues around the globe, but they also broadened the appeal of Port Harcourt hip hop to a larger audience. Their debut album on the Grafton imprint Press On came out in 2005. It was supported by the singles "Sweet Mama" and "Cinderella". Their second album Press On Pt. 2 made a greater impact, garnering them a Best West African Act award at the Channel O Music Video Awards. Guest appearances came from Jamaican star Junior Reid, Rugged man, M Trill, along with UK's Pyrelli and Phoebe One.
In 2007 Double K brought out his first solo album, Katastrophy. He would be nominated for Best Hip Hop Artist at the 5th Niger Delta Advancement Awards. In 2008, De Indispensables announced their split from Grafton Records, after spending 4 years on the Tonye Ibiama-helmed record label. In that same year, M Trill's debut studio album Number One came out. He won Best African West at the Channel O Music Video Awards for "Bounce". During 2009, M Trill released his mixtape Ladies and Gentlemen, where he showcased his production skills and trademark lyrical wit.
New generation singers Duncan Mighty, Timaya and Slim Burna, are beginning to fuse elements of hip hop with various forms of reggae.
Highlife
Virtually all highlife greats from Rivers State have started their career in Port Harcourt. The 1960s saw the rise to prominence of Cardinal Rex Lawson, with his Mayor's Dance Band, being among the first popular bands to achieve widespread success. His accomplishments helped shape the direction of African music in the twentieth century, probably the most influential highlife musician of that period.
Mayor's Dance Band and Rex Lawson released numerous hits and in later years became known as Rivers Men. The band made their mark on the international arena while more people were drawn to the sound. After Lawson's death in the 1970s, Rivers Men reestablished itself as The Professional Seagulls Dance Band. They were led by Prince David Bull who remained a key figure in the band for the time it existed.
Another important performer is King Sunny Brown, often informally referred to as the Original Pickin. He began to sing at a young age in Christ Army School, there he played in the school band with Rex Lawson. During the Nigerian civil war, Brown and Lawson played in the 3rd Marine commando band. He performed with musicians like Prince David Bull and thrilled fans at different venues across the city.
Reggae
Like hip hop and highlife, reggae has long formed an essential part of the music of Port Harcourt. The most well-known representatives of this genre are Daniel Wilson, Duncan Mighty and Timaya. Muma Gee originally sang reggae songs before switching to pop. Other prolific acts include Porsh Kayiana, Bukwild Da Ikwerrian and Slim Burna. Former Mayor of Port Harcourt Chimbiko Akarolo claims that "I am in love with reggae music because it gives me the opportunity to reflect on what is happening in our environment." The singer Duncan Mighty's first major international collaboration "Wine It" featured Jamaican American Grammy Award-winning artist Shaggy. "Wine It" was released in 2012 to a mixed reception, but would later go on to attract some commercial success.
Also worth noting is the critically acclaimed I'm on Fire by Slim Burna, considered as the most successful mixtape from a Port Harcourt-based recording artist. The fifteen track project had some influences of dancehall mixed with pop, and revolved mostly around the themes of love, sex and city street life. In 2014, Sean Paul appeared on a remix of "Bum Bum" by Timaya from his fifth studio album Epiphany. The music video for the song, directed by Shutah Films, earned one nomination at the 33rd International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA). By June 2015, "Bum Bum Remix" had already become the fourth most viewed music video of Nigeria on YouTube, amassing over twenty five million views on the popular video sharing website.